Randolph (CV 15) - Naval Cruise Book

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ol I .. l f' Rear Admiral G. F. Bogan, USN, in command. On April 8 we began our parl' in ihe bafile for Olzinawa. For ihe nexf 5I days, uniil May 29, we remained off ihe coasi as pari of +he ileei ihai came io s+ay. One reason we were able io sfay so long was ihai, for ihe firsf iime, large-scale iransiers of provisions and ammu- niiion were made while underway. Randolph personnel showed slrill and ingenuiiy in solving problems connecied wiih 'lhese pioneering eliforis. ln addiiion io giving direci suppori fo ground iroops on Okinawa iiself, ihe ship launched sweeps and sirilces on, or pairols over, such oiher Nansei Shofo islands as Amami, Kilcai, Tolcuna, Yolroaie, le, and Kalreroma. Sfrilces were also senl' againsf Minami Daiio Shima and againsf airfields in Kyushu. If we go? off lighily in fhe firsl' Tolryo raids, we gol' our fill before fhe Olcinawa campaign was finished. lf was long and fough. Rarely did a day pass wiihouf gen- eral quariers or 'torpedo defense being sounded because of fhe approach of enemy aircraft Several days will be long remembered. One was April I4 when, ai' I9l5, fwo enemy aircraf+ were repor'l'ed. One of ihese closed fo aboul' six miles and showed a red lighl' which remained burning un+il a siring of almosi' a dozen closely-bunched

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V ' r it , YA,. 5 k. flares were dropped: againsi fhese lighfs fhe ships musi have sfood ou+ clearly. Then ihe firsf plane sfaried in, noi more ihan I50 feei oi? ihe wafer. Randolph furncd, rwisfed, zigzagged fo gef ou? of The way. Below declcs we swea+ed and prayed as ihe guns began pound- ing. and ihe empiy ammuniiion ra'Hled on ihe decks over our heads. Then came fhe welcome announcemenf fha? fhe plane had been shoi down. We sighed wifh relief. li seemed ihe Jap had crossed 500 yards ahead of our ship. As ii passed over a desfroyer on our siar- board quar+er if was hii, bursf info flames and crashed info fhe darlr sea. Then we heard fhe ofher plane was closing in. Bach on 'lhe decl: we flopped, while fhe gun- ners opened up again. This Jap was likewise seni io his ancesiors. Three days lafer we underwenf anofher a'H'acl: worfh menfioning. Abouf 0520 a Jap plane was sighfed off fhe sfarboard quarfer, closing fasi. Trying fo crash our sfern, he missed and flew along fhe porfside of 'lhe ship, close aboard and abouf 50 feei above 'the wafer, his guns blazing. Under fire from our ba'H'eries he crashed info fhe water IOO feei oi? fhe ship's porl' bow. Aboui nine o'cloclz fha? morning more bogeys were sighied. Two dived a+ us 'From abou? 6000 feet As fhe leading plane came ou'l' of a cloud he was hii' by one of our five-inch shells. The plane exploded and 'ihe piloi' bailed ou1', floafing down io ihe wafer in view of all I'